2001 F250 steering help

[Dale]

I have a 2001 F250 4x4 with a 7.3L. Yesterday I made a right hand turn after being stopped at a light and the truck was wandering all over the road for about two stop lights then corrected itself. I was able catch the wanders with the steering wheel so the truck would not go into other lanes. The power steering fluid level is good and there are no visible signs of anything broken. I drove it to work and back home with no problems, any ideas???

 

[Dave Kay]

Did you just recently buy this truck? Problems like that don't normally just crop up and then go away... puzzling? Tires, wheel bearings, loose suspension, something about to let go?

 

[Stoney126]

Out trucks (I have a 03 7.3) have some issues with the steering box. Usually that wander is caused by slopiness in the steering box and can sometimes be taken care of by adjusting the preload on the sector shaft. Though I would not attempt to do this unless you are very familiar with the steering box as you can over do it and it wont want to turn.

As Dave said these dont usually just go away, I believer you're seeing the beginning of some steering box issues. I would look into redhead steering boxes as I have read they are better alternative to stock boxes.

Look for binding sway bar bushings or bad sway bar link bushings. Check the bushings on the track bar. Maybe even throw a torque wrench on the U-Bolts

Wheel bearing will usually let you know when they are about to let go by the loud grinding noise and feel. Tires maybe, I'd check the wear pattern for any unevenness, Though I dont believe those would cause you issues.

 

[Greggk]

very common on our trucks. have the power steering box checked and it sounds more like the ball joints. mine does it too, i ordered my new ball joint already and will replace them when i get back from deployment.

btw may want to check out
www.dieselforums.com (use ZombieSoldier as your referral)
and
www.powerstroke.org (use Greggk as your referral)

 

[TreeTopFlyer]

Mine had some wander to it, I had already done the ball joints in 09. I ordered an XRF kit for the tie rods, that helped tighten it up. If you do the ball joints I would recommend moog or XRF. Make sure and put a 90 degree zerk in the bottom ball joint. The stabilizer can cause some issues as well. The steering box is next on my list, it will be the redhead as mentioned previously. You can try to tighten the nut, but as stated, GO SLOW. a little goes a long way. How many miles are on it? The sway bar bushings if they are bad you will hear clunking sounds under your feet. I replaced mine with some pieces from energysuspensions. You have to press them in though so just be aware.

 

[Dale]

[/IMG]thanks for the suggestions. The truck is stock with only 81K on it, although it sat on my Dads farm for 4 years when he started to lose his vision. I've already replaced tires Good Year Silent Armor 235/85/16, calipers, brake lines and brakes. I decided to bite the bullet and pay someone to work on tomorrow, I'll let you know what they find.

 

[truck mechanic]

check the wheel u joints, one mite be frozen on one plane. turn the wheels fully one way, jack up one side and with the hub locked, see if you can spin the wheel. if not unlock the hub and try to spin the wheel again if it spins, mostlikly the u joint is frozen. If it spins with the hub locked , unlock the hub and jack up the other side and repeat.I bet you find a bad joint. it can drive you nuts if you dont know what to look for. I ve fixed lots of steering problems be replaceing frozen wheel u joint.
Just my .02
Paul

 

[Dale]

truck mechanic, you are dead on. My new mechanic replaced the U joints. There are so many moving parts up front that I have no idea what to look for unless I can actually see something broken. I have the Haynes manuals but their problem solving section is something to be desired. Any other publications out there worth the investment?? Also, what type of mid-level code scanner would you recomend for the 2000 F250 with a 7.3?